Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-09-09
THE REAL LINCOLN.
INTIMATE RECOLLECTlONS AND AN
ECDOTAL "REMINISCENCES.
The True History of the famous Gettys'
burg speech-A Surprising Revelation.
ny WARD II. LAMON.
1887 by Ward II. Lamont

Copyrighted 1887 by Ward II. Lamon.)
Among the many historic scenes in which
President Lincoln was an actor there is not
one, perhaps, where a single incident gave
rise to a flood of misrepresentation so
groundless AMI so gross as his justly cee
brated Gettysburg speech Since his death
there has been an enorm Jus expenditure,
not to say a very great waste, of literary
talent ON that performance, as there has
been on about everything else he did, or was
supposed to have done, from his boyhood
until the moment of his assassination. The
reporters, critics, chroniclers, euloglsts flat
terers and biographers have not only failed
to give a true account of that famous
speech, but they have subjected Mr., Lin
coins memory to hurtful Misrepresentation
it is the purpose of this paper to show.
n 1t was my good fortune to have known Mr..
Lincoln long and well so long and intimate
" that as the shadows lengthen and the
wears rccede | am more and more impressed
With the grandeur and nobility of his char
acter his strength Of intellect and singular
purity of heart Surely am the last man
on earth to say or do aught in derogation
of his great worth, or to tarnish his fair
fame in any way whatever.
The world has long since conceded that
he was great in all the elements that so to
make up human greatness He had stamp
of originality that was entirely his own.
With his unique individuality, his intellect,
at once strong, sagacious and profoundly
acute and critical, were associated mental
integrity and moral purpose as firm as
granite. thorough knowledge of himself,
and a modesty that scorned both self-auda
ton, and culogy 10y others for fame or
achievements not his own An act accom-
plished 10y him either in his character of citi-
zen or public servant he regarded more as a
duty discharged than us an achievement of
which to be proud. He was charitable to a
fault, and vet no man ever Disseminated
more narrowly in his judgement concerning
the acts and motives of other men, or had Il
keener appreciation of merit or dement, i'll
others With his characteristic honesty
and simplicity we may well suppose that,
were he alive to-day, he would feel under
little obligation to the swarm of fulsome
eulogists who have made up the body of the
receut chronicles of his life and public con
duct many of these writers being men who,
while Lincoln lived exhausted the resources
of their venom and skill in detraction and
abuse q.
Discriminating observers anCWtudents of
history have not failed to note fhe fact that
the ceremony Of, Mr.. Lincoln apothoesis was
not only planned but executed 10y men who
hated him while he lived and after the
dedication took place, with snowy magnifi-
cence, some time after the great mans lips
were closed by death. These same fatterers
who have undertaken'the self-imposed task
of guarding the memory of the man whom
they We're traducing and trying to supplant
at the moment when the assaSsin's bullet
a Il
friends shall do homage TO him. not as a
great and good man, but as a god.
An honest man of the present day who
dare not defy him for mertorious things
which he did, much less for things which he
left undone, is set down as no friend to Mr..
Lincoln. The maxim" Nothing externate,
nor aught set down in malice is entirely
ignored and the true nobility of his charac-
ter is sacrificed. by falsely ascrbing to him
ornamental virtues which he never possess
ed, and motives, purposes and achievements
which he would promptly disOwn if he were
alive. These latter eulOgists have tried the
extremes of unmanly detraction while their
hero lived, and meaningless flattery and
deifcaton after his death. These slaves of
chance seem to have lost sight of the man
altogether; the man they hated-the god
they salute with hosannas still more hurtful
TO his fame.
Although more godlike, I readily CON
cede, than any man | ever knew, Mr.. Lin.
coin was yet thoroughly human; and
although the writers Of whom | speak have
agnally failed in that respect ] yet believe
it quite possible to separate the acts of the
man from the man himself. To do this is
precisely what Mr.. Lincoln would desire al
the hands of any man who ventures to sit
in judgment upon his public or privat,
conduct.
A day or two before the dedi cation OF
the national cemetery at Gettysburg Mr.
Lincoln told me that he would be expected
to make speech on the occasion; that h,
was extremely busy, with no time for pre-
paration, and that he greatly feared he
would not be able to acquit himself will
credit, much less to fill the measure of pub
lie expectation. From his hat, the usua
receptacle of his private notes and memo
rands, he drew page of foolscap, closel,
written, which he read to me, first remark
ing that it was memorandum of what h
intended to say 1t proved to be in sub
stance, and, | think, in haec verba, VIVA
was printed as his Gettysburg speech
After its delivery he expressed deep re
greet that he had not prepared it with great
er care. He said to Inc ON the stand, i'm
medately after concluding the speech
'Lamon, that speech won't sour! 1t is
great failure, and the people are disappoint
ed He seemed more than ordinarily con
cerned about what the people would thin
of it, was deeply impressed by his fran
and regretful condemnation Of the effort
and especially by his manner of expressing
that regret; and my own impression wa
deepened by the fact that the orator of tn
day, Mr. Everett, and Mr.. Seward bot
conceded with Mr.. Lincoln in his unfavor
able view of its merits.
The occasion was solemn, impressive, an
grandly historic, The people stood spell
bound, it is true, The vast throng wa
hushed and awed into profound sileno
while Mr.. Lincoln read his brief address
but it seemed that this silence and attcnto
to his words arose more from the solemnit
of the ceremonies and the awful scene